Red Valerian / Spring / Summer / Edible Red Valerian is one of those plants you see growing out of walls and cracked pavements, it’s lovely to look at and is edible, although quite bitter. It’s not related to the Valerian that’s used in sleepy tea though. Common Names Red…
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Wild Parsnip / Spring / Summer / Winter Wild Parsnip could look like quite a few of the umbelifer (Carrot family) species and some are deadly toxic so great care should be taken. Common names Wild Parsnip Botanical Name Pastinaca sativa Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Apiales Family…
Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage / All Year / Edible Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage is quite a mouthful, especially for such a small plant, often found in damp places it provides a surprising crunch to salads. Common Names Creeping Jenny, buttered eggs Botanical Name Chrysosplenium oppositifolium Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order –Saxifragales …
Brooklime / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Brooklime is a succulent, perennial plant. Native to the Mediterranean but naturalised across the whole of Europe. It is believed that it arrived in the UK with imported marble sculptures from Italy. It has been used as a salad ingredient in…
Cherry Plum / Summer / Autumn / Edible Cherry plum aren’t technically wild, but they are commonly planted in gardens, parks and hedgerows. Many people think that they are purely ornamental but they are delicious. They are a broadleaved deciduous tree and one of the first Prunus species to flower…
Bladder Campion / Summer / Autumn / Edible Young leaves of Bladder Campion have a sweet flavour like a combination of honey and peas. Use in salads, blanch or steam or stir fry briefly. Common Names Bladder Campion, Maidenstears Botanical Name Silene vulgaris Scientific Clasification Kingdom – Plantae Order –…
Duke of Argyll’s tea tree / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Like many I’d imagine, I hadn’t heard of Goji berries (Duke of Argyll’s tea tree) until the early 2000’s when they became popular as a supposed ‘super food’. I imagined them growing on a rare, recently discovered…
Wild Plum / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Wild Plums are a common sight on these shores and as all members of the plum family are edible they are really beginner friendly. Typically appearing as a large bush or small tree, up to 8m in height. Wild Plums…
Common Reed / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Common Reed is quite often a name that is used to describe the Bulrush – which has the cigar-like tops, the two plants and two names are actually commonly used for one another now which is quite confusing. In this…
Medlar / Autumn / Winter / Edible Medlar are something that isn’t often eaten in the UK, it requires picking and letting to slightly ferment to produce a really nice caramel like fruit. Common Names Medlar, Common Medlar Botanical Name Mespilus germanica Scientific Clasification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Rosales…